Congolese justice has requested the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of former Prime Minister Augustin Matata Ponyo (2012-2016), implicated in a case of embezzlement of public funds and who said he was "
ready
" to appear for defend themselves, corroborating sources said.
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“
The general prosecutor's office asked the Senate to lift the parliamentary immunity of two senators: Matata Ponyo and Ida Kamaji. There are serious indications of their involvement in the embezzlement of the money intended for the agro-industrial park of Bukangalonzo,
”a senior prosecutor at the Court of Cassation told AFP on Monday. “
I'm not afraid of anything. I am ready to appear in court
", even if"
injustice must prevail over justice
", declared Sunday during a press conference Augustin Matata, returned to Kinshasa the same day from Guinea for"
respond
”to these accusations.
"
The file of the General Inspectorate of Finance (IGF), on which the initiative for this legal action is based, is riddled with untruths, riddled with lies
", denounced Augustin Matata. In November, the IGF concluded in a report that $ 205 million out of $ 285 million, disbursed by the Treasury for an agro-industrial park pilot project in the town of Bukangalonzo (250 km south-east of the capital) , had been hijacked. For the head of the IGF, Jules Alingete, "
the failure of this project was planned
" in order to be able to divert the allocated funds. Six personalities directly involved in this debacle, including "
three covered by immunities
", have been identified.
After resigning in November 2016 from his duties as Prime Minister - exercised for four years under the presidency of Joseph Kabila - Augustin Matata Ponyo had become a senator.
To be validated, the lifting of his parliamentary immunity must still be voted on in plenary.
This affair has been on the political front page in the DRC for several days.
Invested in January 2019, President Félix Tshisekedi has made the fight against corruption one of the priorities of his mandate.
His ally and former chief of staff Vital Kamerhe is currently in prison, after being sentenced to 20 years in prison in a case of embezzlement of $ 50 million of public funds.
Several personalities from the camp of former President Joseph Kabila have also been implicated in cases of embezzlement.